JT-TD: (Reader Request Fic)
by Accendrix
Summary: The "Jet-Teds" (JT-TD: Joint-divisonary Tactical Deployment squads) are incredibly lethal military units comprised of Kig-Yar and human operators. One such squad, is sent to a world where their mission is to investigate a Covenant distress beacon. However, the team is left stranded on the world, trapped as they fend off tenacious enemies and try to survive until they are saved.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The awaited day had arrived! The end of the Human-Covenant war had finally come, with mankind licking it's wounds and the remaining Covenant loyalists retreating back to the recesses of space to find meaning and unity among it's once proud establishment. With the deeds of Sierra-117 being honored and Thel Vadam leaving with his fleet of Sangheili vessels on a return voyage to _Sanghielios_, the survivors of this bloody conflict are still shell-shocked and baffled at what to do now. Total extermination of mankind was quickly forgotten, and with the covenant breaking apart it was only logical to see each species begin to work with it's own kin and develop a system of government and society.

"Humanity can now breathe again. The Covenant has finally been driven back. The cost in lives- our troops and our citizens- has been enormous. But freedom never comes cheaply, and now, we rebuild. I promise this to every man, woman, and child on Earth and in its colonies. While we will continue to strive for a peaceful coexistence with other species, humanity will never again allow itself to be the victim of aggression. This is the moment we start to reclaim our rightful place in the universe." ~Dr. Ruth Charet, new President of the Unified Earth Government (UEG).

With this declaration, the UNSC was ordered to finish up the bloody conflict with the colonial Insurrectionists, and finally establish total peace in regards to humanity's clutches in the Milky Way. The necessity for more soldiers was dawning on the military officials, as pioneering efforts to colonize new planets required soldiers and ships for protection. Being discreet about it, esteemed diplomats were dispatched to the most cooperative alien species aside from the Sangheili. The most disciplined yet efficient alien species left after months of deliberating was the Kig-Yar. In the Epsilon Indi system, an orbital station was built above the ruined planet _Harvest_'s atmosphere, a symbolic memoir of the roots of the war. From there, cooperative Kig-Yar accepted the offer to perform joint operations against the remnants of the covenant, and the jackal homeworld: _Eayn_,was swarmed with UNSC recruitment ships. The Kig-Yar space pirates were a nuisance in the beginning, but after a few months of negotiations they too enlisted after intense aggression from the UNSC. Mankind on Earth and the few colonized planets left was unaware of these measures taken to defend it's species, and after scrutinizing the importance of the military the UEG allowed the jackals to become allies, making the reveal to the public in under a year. The scavenging and bloodthirsty species of Kig-Yar surrendered their plundering ways and accepted their new place with mankind.

These trainable, efficient soldiers were a godsend. The UNSC's hand was connected to the powerful arm of the UEG, and with Insurrectionist's warfront faltering the push to create Spartans took over most military planning. Now, three years after the war, Jackals have been crudely accepted into the UNSC and they are both respected and despised by the veterans. Almost everyone has a story to tell about how vicious these bird-fiends were. The conflict of acceptance was a struggle, but both sides got the job done and shared a beer in good faith. Along with the normal Kig-Yar, were the Skirmishers. After this time to repopulate after their near extinction on Reach and connected deployments, they were integrated into the military, used as a tool strictly for combat.

Now, it's just regular deployments and leaves to Eayn for the Kig-Yar. To the humans, it's reinforcing their power and grasp, by also forming bonds with their former enemies. The UEG understood it, the UNSC understood it, and by now mankind was indifferent to the idea. In only four years, the Kig-Yar were a part of mankind, and vice versa. Following this, the arise of the Spartan-IV's came, and the UNSC Infinity was off on it's voyage where it would encounter Requiem. For now, it's just the same shit different day.

…

The orbital station, titled "_Repercussion_" was a formation of four MAC stations guarding a huge, tower-like building with a spherical end and a slanted end. It was located at the planet _Harvest_. A fitting and symbolic location, as this station was a consequence of the war and the actions taken with the Kig-Yar when first contact was established. The _Epsilon Indi _system was the closest to _Eayn_, and with the routine recruitments and training done here, the station was becoming well known for producing the: "Jarhead Jackals." Cooperation between the two species was at first difficult, but tolerant instructors, understanding, and time cemented a friendship between the two species, mankind's past of racial tension and discrimination becoming a lesson learned, guiding humanity along it's new path.

Operations for these JSOC squads included taking care of Insurrectionist issues such as assassinations, or the more popular covenant extermination operations. Because of the consistent outreach of network operations in the now less-lethal space the remaining prophetic leaders and covenant survivors are hunted down with tactical efficiency. _Repercussion _acted as it's own command station for joint operations, an academy to train Kig-Yar recruits with human recruits, and a hub for the naval military itself.

In time, NetSpaceOps (a military division focused on galactic intelligence) encountered some intel referring to "_Finality_" located on a planet previously discovered to be a perfect colonization world. This information was sent to _Repercussion _and the higher-ups sent out a JT-TD unit to handle this operation. With permission from FLEETCOM, a UNSC Prowler was delivered with regards from ONI. The joint team boarded it when it docked at _Repercussion _and the vessel went off to discover and investigate whatever "_Finality_" was.

…

The UNSC _Last Gleaming_, an ONI Prowler which has been in service since 2531, exited slipspace, seamlessly and silently entering a lightly explored section of space.

"Anyone know what star system we're in? I mean, _Harvest _is in Epsilon Eridani…soooo, what's this one?"

Lance Corporal Frederick "Kite" McMillan sauntered his way down one the ship's hallways, his black boots making the hallway ring with noise as he clocked out a step in average succession. Kite, a Caucasian male in his late 20s', was a tough and handsome marine with light-blonde hair and blue brown eyes.

"I dunno, man. I think Sammy should, she keeps track of this stuff." an armored squad mate responded. The slightly shorter man was of eastern Asian heritage, with short black hair and dark eyes. The man's name was Chan, a close associate of Kite and the squad's "foreign weapons enthusiast." Despite the radiation poisoning, Chan had remarkably survived after using plasma weaponry for an entire campaign on the decimated planet _Doulkar_. It was surprising that his molecules weren't breaking down, but Kite was always afraid during a mission that Chan would begin to deteriorate into bloody pus and goo.

They casually turned a corner to go into another grey and black hallway, with slanted walls and a polished floor. Frederick received his nickname when he was smashed into the air by a Hunter's shield-arm, looking like a purple kite with all the blood on him, it was one of the first words written on his full-body cast. A door with the sign reading: "Crew Quarters" opened to the two marines, and they entered the room. Bunk beds, shelving, footlockers, a computer and a table were all that was in the room. Some clothing was on the floor, military fatigues. On one bed were Sammy and Christopher, who were sleeping under the covers of Chris's bottom-bunk. The non-human bunks were located opposite of the human ones, across the room that is. There, slept a female Kig-Yar named Liz, curled up on her top bunk, half clothed and enjoying her sleep. Her eyes shot open when she heard the doors open, revealing the pale red iris' in the center of her yellow-orange pupils. She shot upwards, letting her gray blankets slide down her sinewy and slender figure. As immigrants from colony worls back to Eayn grew, so did the genetic diversity of the species. The now normally bald pure females had fathery hair similar to the mane-like feathers of the Skirmisher population. Liz has thick, flexible spines and feathers of blue hair with black streaks, covering her scalp and sides of her head, making her look charismatically attractive to other mates, who would tear her feathers off with their mouths when the time for mating came, hence the plates on her head and fore-arms.

"Relax Liz, it's just your fellow 'JT-titties.'" Kite remarked. Liz was his spotter and infantry companion. The operations the Jed-Teds did were mostly related to eliminating high value targets or exterminating the population of Covenant or Insurrectionist within an area, the JT-TD's were exceptional assassins and special operations combatants.

Liz was wearing a pair of black fatigue cargo-trousers, and a tight blue-black undershirt. She stretched and yawned, a small chirp escaping her normally soundless mouth. Chan picked up a magazine of motorcycles on the ground, and flung it to the couple on the bed. They were startled, and Chris looked up from under the covers to spot his teammates staring at him. He groaned and whispered something to Sammy, who grumbled and yawned. Arising, the stark naked marines grabbed some clothing and headed out to the showers.

"Briefing room in fifteen." Chan called after them, his eyes darting across Samantha's body. Liz passed Chan and gave Kite a side glance, the human nodded to her and stopped down to pick up some of the clutter on the floor. Chan, being the OCD neat-freak he was, knelt down and furiously started to help Kite, effectively pushing his friend away for unacceptable work speed.

In the shower room in the bathroom connected to the barracks, the squad steamed up the room and quickly scrubbed themselves clean. The blue tiled walls were wet from the water, and the trickling flow stayed in cohesive droplets which slid down to pool up on the white-tiled floor until it exited out the metal grates on the floor. Sammy was a veteran of the war, with short hazel hair that formed a small ponytail at the back of her head. She had light-green eyes, and hints of freckles on her face. She was Caucasian, and spoke in a funny accent that traced itself back to an evolved European heritage from a colony planet. Chris was a medium-built man with tanned skin and a military shave of black hair, with bright blue eyes. The couple was washing each other under the same shower faucet. Kig-Yar had developed a bathing system similar to showers, however the public ones in the academy were not as comfortable as the smaller shower rooms of military space-craft. Her body was drenched by hot water, the scute scales and skin being washed clean as she took a cloth and wiped the foamy soap off of her. The squad soon exited the room and put on clothing as the smell of shampoo and body wash faded away with the introduction of armor. Opening their respective footlockers and quickly throwing on their ACU and armor, the squad exited the crewmen quarters to reach the briefing room. Kite and Chan had done all of this previously, coming back from early breakfast at the mess hall to wake up their teammates. Blue lights from the computer screens and monitors cast a glow to the room filled with technology.

Kite and Chan were not alone in the briefing room when the others walked in. There was the JT-TD squad Leader, Vrin, and his spotter Fran. Vrin had a red Mohawk of spiny quills with yellow iris' on pale orange pupils looking to his team, his gray-green body covered up by the UNSC Kig-Yar armor of curved pieces. Fran was the other Kig-Yar female of the unit, her place in this elite team justifying her combat prowess. She was a pure Kig-Yar who's family line was from the earliest of Eayn. She has a bald head and rich red-orange eyes, with a pale yellow body. They were brother and sister, and had joined the UNSC after the initial recruitment over at Eayn, the older brother overshadowing his younger sister at the academy despite both of their great accomplishments during their training.

"Captain Jaden wish for us to depart Prowler soon, few hours. Stay above orbit, serve as air support and evac." Vrin announced when everyone gathered around the holo-table he was facing. The group stared at the topography map on the holo-table in front of them, looking up to Vrin as he spoke from time to time. The jackal had a sharp voice and strong tone, speaking the prominent languages of mankind was a requirement for the Kig-Yar, in return the humans had to read up as they too delved into the different colony customs and society of the various Kig-Yar colonized planets, thankfully most had been unified and in turn simplified in regards of international and interplanetary Kig-Yar culture after the Covenant disbanded.

"_Finality _is Covenant vessel. Phantom. Crash on island near land masses of planet. Small continents, many islands. Product of numerous ice ages, plate shifting, planet pulled in by star. Carbon-nitrogen atmosphere oxygen, very much like Earth. Target, survivors of crash, sent out distress beacon many days ago. Crew, grunt, drone, _bruuute_. Vrin sneered. "We come. We kill. We go, quick day or two. Planet possible for colonization."

Captain Jaden's face appeared on the communications monitor, and the sound wave frequency fluctuated as the man spoke.

"The Covenant Remnant fleet which was driven off by the, now long-gone, Sangheili ships might return. We'll be cloaked and ready when they do. I advise you leave now. Good luck to you men and women."

Jaden, an African heritage man who was Earth-born was serious man. The man was tall and heavily built, looking strange as he commanded a ONI stealth vessel. Kite referred to him as, "just your regular ONI bus driver dropping the kids off and picking them up after playtime."

The team departed to the armory and grabbed their equipment. Sniper Rifle System 99-S5 Anti-Matériel rifles were picked up by the snipers and loaded after the small attachments and gizmos were added to them. Spotting lenses, tripods, camping gear, and survival equipment were packed up, and finally the team tightened their straps and put on their packs. They headed down to the hangar bay and got into an ONI Falcon, aircraft primarily used during the Battle for Reach. The turret-less, black and slanted hull designs were very stylish, but they served as an undetectable transport when the time came. The Prowler cloaked and entered the planet's atmosphere, reaching the drop-off altitude and opening it's hangar bay hatch. Breathing deeply, face-masks were secured and oxygen tanks were hooked up, no advanced combat armor here to defend against the downwards plunge from this high up in the sky. Sammy was piloting the aircraft, and she did the pre-flight check inside of the dark hangar, finally going off when everyone was seated. The Prowler began to ascend into the sky as Sammy dropped the Falcon downwards past the clouds, the nose tipping down as the thrusters kicked in, increasing the speed of her dive.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Alright, let's get ready to exterminate some ape-shit Ape shits." Kite spoke aloud.

The jackals growled in an agreeing tone, Chan and Chris bumped fists. Chris slid a magazine into his sniper rifle as the others checked out their silenced SMGs'. The falcon leveled off and began a slow swoop down to the beach of the island.

Kite, seated inside of the Falcon, bent forwards and looked over Vrin's shoulder. The tall Jackal was clad in a black skinsuit and had the standard shade of green marine armor parts from before, contoured and grooved to fit the Jackal's body, and the unisex of the armor part designs meant that they would always fit any Jackal no matter what gender or size they were. Kite was wearing standard UNSC gear (ACU, boots, combat harness and vest, and some armor on top of it all with orange shades).

Hugging his long rifle close to his breast-piece, Kite exhaled out a breath, marveling at the clouds through the glass o his facemask, the sky looking a bit orange from behind his glasses. The turret seats were occupied by Vrin and his sister, who kept their eyes on the scope the entire flight. Chan and Chris were opposite to Kite, and Liz was standing with a SMG in one hand, holding onto a black-and-yellow checkered handle on the ceiling to brace herself.

"Alright fellas, we're going to be dropping in about two mikes from now." Sammy informed them. The woman slowly turned the Falcon's steering and it shifted to the side, gliding inwards to the beach.

The chopper blades made terrible CHOOKA-CHOOKA noises in the air as it flew down to the pink and creamy-tan beach sand. Hovering over the water, the others checked their air-tanks and stood. Chan put the gear into a large cylindrical tube located under his seat. He twisted a dial, making the silver tube transform to look into a small submarine as various exterior parts shot out of it. Patting it, he tossed the thing out of the Falcon and observed it skirt across the water to reach the beach. Droplets and waved chaotically formed under the chopper blade's hurried spins. Chan then twisted the already tight nozzle on his air tanks, and jumped into the water letting his air slowly gush out from a third, smaller tank used for propulsion. Meeting his wet teammates on the beach, they took off their aquatic gear and ditched it at the jungle's tree line.

The submarine cylinder from before left a scar on the sand, eventually coming to rest at a dune it created near the more earthy and compact ground. Vrin knelt down to it and opened the hatch, letting the thing hiss as it's hinges moved and air-tight design failed. Inside were their gear and two special pieces of equipment, one being a target locator and the other being a unique magazine for the sniper rifles. You could see the bullets inside via transparent material forming a design on the metal shell, and inside were what looked like huge glowing purple needles. Vrin took it out and placed the magazine into a large black pouch located on his waist, and he stood up to meet Fran. She was on one knee, her eye on the scope and pointing out to the end of the beach where it curved to the left.

Chris swung his rifle around, looking into the jungle. His intense eye stared in through his scope, staying still as he slowly breathed and let the rifle stock rub into his side and arm. Everything went silent, and he only heard his heart beat. The air didn't smell so salty, and the everything other than the scope was a fuzzy mess. His eye widened and he exhaled, until a jolt sent the man back to reality. Sammy was above them, and she looked for a spot to land.

"We clear LZ, you land then join." Vrin spoke. He and Fran jogged off to the flat rocky shore. Chan walked up to the man and nudged him, and Kite watched as Sammy swung around to follow the Jackals.

"Showtime. Go time." Liz remarked in her feminine yet tough voice. She was Kite's spotter, and the Jackal sheathed her silenced SMG onto her lower back to take out a black TACMAG, a tactical magnum which was silenced, had a flashlight, and fired as fast as you could pull the trigger.

Kite nodded and went off after the others with Liz at his side. Finally arriving at the eroded grey and black rocks that provided shelter from the waves and a flat area to land, Sammy dropped the aircraft gently onto a slightly slanted surface and waited until the blades stopped whirring. Exiting the cockpit, she knelt down, getting out an assault rifle with a silencer. Chris met up with her and the two stacked up at the corner of a few tall rocks which had the jungle beyond them.

"Kite, you take point. I follow from trees with sister and Liz."

The Jackals jumped up to the large trees and landed on thick branches which had brown, coconut shaped objects hanging from them. Sunlight gleamed in from the canopy, and the light dwindled as the canopy got thicker. The humans, lead by Kite, slowly went off as the Jackals provided over-watch. Chan took out a flat, pad-device, and fiddled with it.

"Mapping the jungle from LZ." he informed the group. After some jungle terrain traversing they arrived at a suspicious area where signs of activity were everywhere. The jet-teds crouched beside a fallen tree, rotting away on the jungle floor. They dug themselves into the soft ground, peeking over the tree, trying to ignore the stench of mildew and wood. Kite did some hand signals, the flank out and move in ones to be precise. Sammy and Chris moved around the tree, slowly crouch-walked over to the thicker brush, creepers brushing up against their legs with every precise step.

From the trees came a rustling, and then Fran appeared in the tree branches of the tree in front of Kite with her rifle on her back. She gestured for Kite to follow, but a vicious roar and volley of hot plasma forced her to scurry backwards, her long legs bending as her feet impacted the tree trunks or branches. Suddenly, a ferocious and tribal looking Brute rolled from the bushes. His furry body had tattoos and designs on it of white and purple. Blue armor pieces were tied onto his body by dirty rags or strips, and he stank of savagery. In his hands was a mauler. The large Brute waved the gun at the smaller humans and charged forwards. A loud bang was heard and the Brute flew backwards with it's head exploding. Chris cocked his rifle and silently waited for another to come out, letting his armored torso gently relax onto the earth below him. Kite and the others ran into the clearing and looked to the half-buried skeletons on the jungle floor, with grass-stained Covenant technology or supplies embedded in the mud or soil. Vrin and Fran then appeared in the trees, aiming into the thicket. Liz hopped down from her hidden perch and rolled, coming to a stop at a half-buried Covenant supply crate for cover. She looked to Kite, and he moved over to her position so they were side-by-side behind this cover.

Wordlessly, the marines dug themselves in and waited for another to show. These Brutes had obviously survived, they were built to withstand these jungle conditions. The familiar, home-like jungle terrain, a steady food supply of lesser beings from the Phantom (and themselves if the need came), was an adequate set-up if you crash landed and had no way to contact rescue.

As expected, a more silent Brute savage wandered out with his spiker. His painted officer helmet looking a bit less blue and clean than a year before. His nostrils flared and breathe fumed out with every exhale. The face-mask helmet was comfortable to this hulk, however it couldn't provide protection from a sniper round. If only their shielding technology still worked…but the shot flew over the grass and implanted itself into an eye-socket, turning the brain to bloody jelly and the skull to fragile pieces.

Vaulting over their cover, Liz and Kite then opened fire into the thicket, and various grunts of death were heard coming from the jungle. In the trees, Vrin and Fran jumped to other branches and let powerful shots fly into the jungle from their rapid-firing guns. Chris and Sammy waited until they were done with their suppressing fire, and the two then went in to investigate with the others defending their rear and flanks. The Jackals jumped down and joined their teammates on the floor, huffing out a breath and reloading their weapons in half-fumbled motions. Reloading was a miniscule chore to the Kig-Yar. Sliding in the new magazines, Vrin and Fran looked to Liz who sided with them and moved out. It was best to let Jackals sniff the air and perform recon.

"Vrin, we've found something. Looks…tribal. Piles of dirt and painted rocks." Chris informed his team-leader. The Jackal shook his head and urged his team to follow. Sammy was seen behind a low rock, using it as cover. Aiming over to the other side of the burial ground, she made sure Chris wasn't ambushed. The man was stooped down to a corpse, trying not to look into the Brute's dead crimson eyes, which eerily stared right at him.

"Graves. Find crash site. Assess wreckage. Move to locations." Vrin commanded. The marines left the bodies and headed out into the thicket, where they discovered a trail. Choosing to follow it, the group carefully started to move, staying close to the edges of the trail so they could either hide or ambush any other hostiles. A small spring was seen at a cluster of trees, and what looked like nests in the canopy were spotted, the sunlight darkening the bundles of sticks and leaves.

"Great apes make tree homes. Looks like Brutes do the same. I dig it." Chan remarked. Liz was near him, her eyes darting about in frantic alertness, however she stayed completely silent and observative. Vrin and Fran were side by side, taking point. They were speaking to each other in hushed tones, making the others believe that they weren't important enough to be advised on the subject.

"Mind telling us some of that?" Sammy asked. She was in front of Christ, who's rifle and head was lowered as he scanned the jungle.

"Halt. Split up, two fire teams. Lance corporal, take two men and find island vantage point. Rest, follow me. We are invisible, hmm?"

As he finished, a faint buzzing sound could be heard humming in the jungle. Kite stepped into a thick puddle on the ground and tried to pull his foot free from it. The water-sand bubbled and sucked at his leg, and he then looked around to see the hidden quicksand trap near the Brute homes. Scattered pieces of broken Covenant technology was strewn about, and the quicksand was growing out to suck it up only to retreat and leave the things stuck in it's flimsy grasp. Everyone shot their heads to the sky. Sammy and Chris grabbed Kite's arms and pulled him free, all three falling to their bottoms as the swarm arrived. A dangerous Drone major in dirty red armor, leading his massive swarm of drones wielding spears and stone weapons, was whizzing in the air towards the gunshots it had heard earlier. The ground darkened as the swarm blocked out the sun, and Liz looked to Kite with a deep terror in her eyes before the black mass swooped down.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chan dropped to the ground in a torpedo-like action, his chest shaking from the force of the impact. The sight of the swarm shocked his psyche so hard that he gripped the earth below with his bare fingers, feeling the cold dirt against his warm skin and gloves, shutting his eyes and shooting them open with a wild look in his eyes. Narrowly missing the clutching arms of the drones as they swooped down, the marine turned onto his back and fired his sniper rifle right into the swarm, his arm jolting back into the vegetation beneath him because of the rifle's terrific recoil. The drones split apart to form a vulture-like circle beneath the canopy, golden sunlight streaming in from the open spots in the leafy sky-carpet. They buzzed and hummed furiously, hurling rocks and sharpened sticks down to the marines below, obvious substitutes for the now depleted plasma powered weaponry they possessed before. Liz acrobatically rolled to her side, her armored legs scraping against the brush only to smack into a huge tree's rough trunk. The bubbling quicksand slurped at her legs and she clawed her way to the harder earth. Kite fell back into Sammy and Chris's arms with a sudden action, the marine couple quickly adapting to the natural result of their persistent tugging. Kite had the horrifying image of the entire onyx swarm of drones in it's ferocious glory swoop down at him. Swatting at the sudden blizzard of aliens, he felt sharp claws tear at him, as well as hearing Sammy and Chris groan as they struggled to fight the grubby drones off.

"Counter-attack!" Vrin shouted. He raised his rifle into the air, expertly trailing his targets and making their bodies explode as he fired away, expelling shells from his gun as quick as he could aim and fire. Drone blood was spattering down onto the marines, and Vrin wiped an accumulated amount off of his face, blinking a few times. His pause in the offensive caused the drone major to come from his rear and snatch him, hoisting the jackal up and off. Fran followed the drone major by running after it on the jungle floor. Vrin desperately trying to fight the bugger off with punches and upward jabs, ignoring the altitude levels he was quickly entering one after the other.

Liz scowled and raised her SMG with a slender arm covered in tight black clothe and green-camo armor-plating. She unloaded a rapid-fire storm into the drones, the bullets ripping past their exoskeletons and armor, puncturing their bodies to send blood down onto the jungle. Sammy yelped as she punched one in it's face, then grabbed another by it's arm and dragged it to the ground to stomp onto it's head. Chris waited to be caught, before stabbing his knife in it's belly and making it fall down into the quick-sand. It squirmed and struggled as he forced it's face into the sand, drowning it. It finally stopped twitching and lay still, it's wings receding into the quicksand with Chris's arm. Chan grabbed his comrade and dragged him away from the fatal sand, locking his magazine less sniper rifle onto his back..

"Follow objectives! Go, go, go!" Vrin spat out from above them, "Mobilize!" He had subdued his drone and perched himself onto a thick branch of dark-brown bark and green-white growth. Chan, Liz, and Kite grouped together, firing their weapons at the dispersing swarm, the plant aroma from the jungle mixing with the stinky drone carcasses and rifle smoke. The sharpened stick spears and jagged stone weapons proved no match to the rapid-fire or powerful guns. Sammy reloaded her silenced assault rifle, just as a sharp spear flew down to narrowly pierce her, the weapon sinking into the ground and looking malicious in it's fixed position.

Vrin hopped down after descending a few branches down his tree. Landing next to his sister, the jackal huffed and wiped some blood off of his smeared shoulder pauldron. Patting his chest plate's pouches, he took out the needle magazine, and flung the glowing pink ammunition to Kite who deftly caught the solid clip. Liz looked to Chan and Kite, who were slowly moving backwards to regroup with her. The orders were clear, get to the hills and wait for the target to poke his royal face out.

…

"So _Finality_…is the name of that phantom huh?" Kite remarked. Chan wiped his brow and peered over the edge of the ridge again. He was an infantry man who's job was to ensure the flanks and rear of the snipers was clear. Liz, hidden under a tarp with shades of green streaked across it's already dark color, was setting up the spotter scope and arranging her calculating equipment. There was a ridge behind the sniping location, a small platform well hidden by large shrubs. Chan once again wiped his brow. The night humidity, the terror from the drone swarm, and the thought of his only ex-fil off this vicious island was left unguarded and poorly hidden frightened the man.

"Y-yeah. Apparently, our HVI target, a chieftain, managed to send out a rescue beacon before his damaged phantom was trapped in orbit. There was a skirmish ages ago where the Sangheili encountered a covenant remnant fleet. Evacuation ships were shot down, but the covies were also setting up stuff in this planet just as the elites showed up. The Sangheili didn't want to glass another planet, so they left it…with those fucking monkeys and devil-cicadas down there for us to mop up." Chan finally replied.

"Hoo-ah." Kite laughed. He crossed his arms over his belly and snuggled up in the vegetation on their small position.

"'Hoo-ah' all you want brother, we're _regular _killers…they want killers who can handle jungle-to-air warfare, they should have called in ODSTs." Chan quickly spoke.

"Quit complaining. Those alpha-jarheads can handle the bigger shit like storming the beaches or dropping into volcanoes, the grunts can manage a few chieftains and maybe even a prophet's security detail. We pretty much are ODSTs, just not recognized as them. You know what? Fuck it, marines can handle anything!" Kite replied, taking off his helmet to inspect his head for any unknown injuries. Liz then loomed over him, her small feet setting themselves on the soft earth on top of the dark-gray and ancient stone under it.

She crouched down and looked past the shrubs over to the phantom wreckage. The hills were actually an eroded mountain which had grassed over by the time mankind discovered that the earth was spherical. The island did not possess any natural species of animals, just insects that the marines could care less about, other than the Drones. The plant was a prime example of a garden-like world with it's carbon-nitrogen atmosphere and gravity.

"What the fuck was up with that anyways?" Chan asked. "Those drones looked like they had retreated into a savage, hive-like swarm. As for the brutes, why should they stay in the jungle? You think they maybe found the falcon? Oh man, that'll be bad news."

"Nah, I think they rarely visit the beach unless there's fishing to do. Then again when have you seen an ape fish?"

Liz looked wonderful, with her luxurious hair silhouette and curved armor shape being defined by the brilliant moonlight. Kite awed silently over her, and she finally stopped checking out her copious ammunition pouches to meet eyes with Kite. Her gorgeous wide eyes looking even more alive than they did at the drone swarm fight.

"God, damn. It is _hawt_…waitwait who's got the target locator?" Chan suddenly spoke out.

"You do." Kite replied. The radio inside of Kite's helmet buzzed. Rising from his spot, Kite wiped some dirt off his body and used the night-vision on his helmet's eye-screen to find the tarp down below. Sliding against the hill he landed next to it with Liz at his back.

"Kite, achieved position?" Vrin asked. His voice was slightly whisper-ey, but the gruff initiative tone was not completely absent. From this point the marines would be able to see fires or the faint outline of smoke against the moon's shine. However the jungle was silent, and no fires were lit.

"Affirmative, will hold position until told otherwise." Kite responded. The breeze of the night felt so good against his warm face.

"Solid copy. We handle Bruuutes, you manage leader. After, retreat to Falcon." Vrin shot out.

There was still the question of where the drones had gone to, and in what specific location the brutes were residing in. With the high ground, the contest between the marines and the ruthless brute survivors would be difficult if they failed their mission. Chan calculated that the jackals and Sammy would make it to the falcon should the mission be botched up. However, Kite had faith in his team. Liz walked past to head for her small ditch, the brush above blocking her from view. Kite's eyes wandered from her hair to her back, and then to her bottom. There was armor in the way, but the bottom of her cheeks could be made out in the moonlight, the farther sides covered with padding and light leg-plating. Chan finished checking the equipment from the cylinder, the bright purple-pink needle bullets making his fingers glow when he held the magazine. He tossed it to Kite, who snugly fit it into an ammunition pouch. Chan then moved back to the small rocky wall behind their spot, and remained awake, his view over to the side Kite couldn't see. The dark canopy of the trees looked almost like a leafy ocean, with the winds making the flimsier branches sway and gently shake.

…

"Deolinus! Face me!" Urivetum declared. The pink scars on his light-gray skinned body were covered over by the remaining bits of salvaged power armor of his captain-ultra's uniform, and rich clay paint smeared across fur or armor. His dirty, red-brown fur was caked in the blood of fellow Jiralhanae and the bloody feasts the pack had of their brethrens corpses. At eight and a half feet tall, his heavy feet stomped onto the ground and his hands clenched into fists, eager to batter at his red-eyed Chieftain.

The pack chief, Deolinus, twirled his gravity hammer above his head with both hands, eventually pointing the head of the war-hammer down to his packmate in a challenging gesture of accusation. The nine foot tall goliath had fur so brown it seemed black, and his Chieftain's power armor looked much better in it's condition than Deolinus's underlings. The old Chieftains, with their veteran red power armor, were as fearsome as the powerful War-Chieftains with their horned armor, their tubing feeding hormonal chemicals into their bodies. Deolinus's beards were tied together at the ends in a fashionable knot, making his already barbaric image a bit more rogue-ish. He was normally stationed on one of the Jiralhanae cruisers of the Covenant remnant fleets as a marine-pack commander, and his own pack was abandoned on this planet after the Sangheili arrived just as the _Finality _was just about finished entering this planet's orbit. His pack survived, and they retreated into their tree-dwelling, tribal ways of savage tactics and ruthless survival when the drones began to bug out.

"I will never neglect a challenger! I am old, but I am still stronger, I will crush your fragile body! My hammer will shatter your skull, grind your bones until the tender meat of your weak body slides out of your pulpy remains! Rrrargh!"

The fierce Chieftain jumped from his perch/throne in the jungle trees and landed onto the earth below. From the nests above came a rumbling sound, huge hands pounding away at drums created from the wreckage of the Phantom and natural objects the jungle provided. The impact from the landing forced Urivetum to back away however greedy claws shoved him forwards as the pack formed a hellish circle, a small arena suddenly appearing on the well-trodden jungle floor. The entire area had been cleared out of rocks and trees, and a camp was set up here while the homes were created above. Deolinus, naturally, looked over his packmates from his almost royal position above them at a Chieftain's home. This delicate evening, another packmate would challenge his position as Chieftain, the position being craved for ad infinitum by the more wild pack-brothers.

Snarls and guttural hisses from the ring of Jiralhanae around them encouraged the Brutes to immediately melee. However they circled each other carefully, Urivetum with his dual spikers and Deolinus clutching his ceremonial war-hammer. The dank smell of sweaty beast hung in the evening, and the moon-light made the monstrous faces of these hulking creatures seem even more eerie and menacing. There was no shielding in these salvaged suits of armor, no tight skin-suits and connected technology to provide defense mechanisms to enemy fire. These Brutes only had their fur, skin, flesh, and bone. The occasional arm or legs of armor made them seem like scavenging bandits, and most Brutes seemed to be going for a "half-dressed" look where an arm or a side of their chest would be left bare for paint or weapons. Urivetum had this look, while Deolinus kept his old red uniform and power armor, his fancy helmet hiding the long hair underneath.

Deolinus moved fast for his age, and he smashed Urivetum's leg just as he dodged out of the way. Flying into the ring, he was balked at and tossed back into the arena. Three had fallen to Deolinus's hammer and skills, Urivetum planned not to become the fourth. He aimed and let loose with his weapons, the scorchingly hot spikes flying in the air and narrowly missing Deolinus. The stronger brute shots were discouraged from these lethal duels, and small-arms were only barely allowed. The Chieftain rolled to the side, and used his heavily muscled legs to jump up into the air. He spectacularly swooped down and smashed the hammer down at Urivetum. Deolinus's foe moved forwards and crashed into the ground, sighing in relief. He let his empty magazines fall and ran at Deolinus. The Chieftain spun around, swinging the blade-edge of his hammer at Urivetum. The sound of the air being sliced horrified Urivetum, but he snorted and ducked under the fast strike, stabbing upwards into Deolinus with the knives he created from destroyed Jiralhanae weaponry, the bayonet pieces proving invaluable. Deolinus laughed as his blood ran down the dirty grey blades, and he punched with his free hand, the other gripping his war-hammer.

"Flesh wounds." joked Deolinus. He yelled and swung downwards, the sound of the hammer flying through the air caused the cheering ring of watchers to die down and the endless drum tempo to increase in sound and speed. Urivetum shook his head and looked to the hammerhead as it came downwards. He saw the open spots on Deolinus, side-stepped the hammer and slashed at the Brute, the force from the hammer pushing his body away. Urivetum swung himself sideways, his legs off the ground for a few seconds. Regaining his footing and jumping back from a small strike from the hammer, Urivetum tackled his Chieftain and began to rain down vicious punches and lethal head-butts onto his Chief. The ring screamed in excitement and cheered Urivetum on. Deolinus struggled to block the hits, and his bloody face and torso wounds were getting to him. His nostrils snorted out air and blood, and his mouth was bared in a furious shriek of death.

The drums died down as Urivetum stood up panting. He looked to his pack-brothers and then to the drunken figure of Deolinus, battered and broken. Lifting a leg, the victor stomped on the old Chieftain's throat once. Deolinus let out a croak of death and a choked sound as he died. Thoughts of Urivetum in his new black and crimson Chieftain armor raced through his mind, the power of control and dominance exciting the bloody Brute…if they were ever rescued. He shouted out a ferocious victory scream, and the other packmates cheered on as he stooped down to pick up the ceremonial gravity-hammer, given from Chieftain to Chieftain with every savage passing of the torch. Urivetum jumped up to the high above nest as if it were no difficult task, and he gladly took his place at the nest, entering the roofed house adorned in tribal decorations and paint. This home would be his now, and the others were growing weaker everyday. The king would not be contested, and the evening went on as the pack neared Deolinus's corpse to feast, a roaring feast-fire igniting at the same time.

…

Their own secluded location was deep in the jungle, overlooking a small source of azure and moon-lit water. The equipment was already set up, with the tarp covering the spotter scopes and sniper rifles. Ditching their heavy gear, the humans had on minimal armor on. Chris and Sammy had ditched the armor and stayed hidden in the vegetation, while the Jackals finished up setting up a perimeter of sensor alarms and mines. Vrin and Chris were the snipers here, with Fran acting as a spotter for both. Sammy would lock down their position and guard it as the mission would go on. The shadowy forms of their bodies hid them well in the night, with the humans relying on night-vision and the Kig-Yar using ocular devices and their natural ability of semi-nocturnal vision.

"Watch for fire-light or plasma energy light." Vrin whispered, crouching down on his legs to stoop near Chris. He was under the propped up tarp, eyes on his scope and hands on his rifle, it's bi-pod set up on a medium sized gray rock embedded into the grassy ground, the stone having a rough feeling with it's edgy top.

The small water source was relatively clear of cover or obtrusive objects, however the obvious signs of Jiralhanae activity had been spotted by Fran. Her lithe form was well hidden behind Vrin, large plant leaves hiding her as she gazed down to the moonlit water. Sammy sat upon a rock platform, sitting with her silenced assault rifle, eyes to the side of their spot, her vision glaring at the small trail that lead to this position. Vrin stayed silent with his locked face of wide-eyes and unmoving muscles, but he soon blinked and turned his head to face Chris after the endless silence became unbearable.

"Precious resource. Fresh water." he murmured, putting his gloved hands onto the ground to move around the powdery dirt and sediment at his feet.

As Vrin stood, Chris suddenly jerked and leaned into his rifle, eye wide on the scope. His shoulders tensed up and his breathing slowed, a quiet exhale lengthily being expelled from his mouth, sweat on his upper lip and forehead dripping off his concentrated face to slide onto and off the metal rifle.

"We have light!" he urgently whispered. Vrin touched his ocular device, and the blue screen seemed to shift, his one eye quickly moving back and forth to the white circles forming up on the blue screen.

The Jackal barked out a sound of acknowledgement as he observed the small fire suddenly blaze up ways off of the watering hole. Sammy silently slipped off her perch and trekked to the path leading to their position, her rifle moving back and forth as her keen ears picked up the smallest of the jungle's night symphony. Fran arose, looking like an ancient dinosaur in the brush, her armor scraping against itself or the dark-green leaves. She dived to the tarp and crawled under the thin sheet to check her spotting scope. Vrin took over Chris as the sniper. The humid jungle night and sudden spark of activity roused this group's spirits, the feeling of being the predator hunting the prey thrilling to them as they quickly transformed into a professional military unit.


End file.
